According to NASA asteroid 2012 DA14 with a diameter of about 50 meters, discovered by Spanish astronomers on Thursday, February 23, will pass by Earth next year, flying closer than some man-made satellites.

The asteroid 2012 DA14 will miss the planet by 26,900 kilometers on February 15, 2013, which is closer than satellites in the geostationary orbit of 35,700 kilometers. The asteroid, first detected by the Spanish Observatorio Astronomico de La Sagra, is between 40 and 95 meters in diameter and belongs to Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, many of which are potential collision hazards. According to preliminary data, the absolute stellar magnitude of the asteroid was 24,24. Astronomers will continue to refine the asteroid’s orbit and the distance of its future meetings with the Earth.
source:www.rian.ru